Regulators have approved a plan to allow Tampa Electric to expand its solar power generation to carry nearly seven percent of the utility’s capacity while also granting a rate freeze for electricity customers for the next four years. “This is a win for customers and a win for the environment,” Gordon Gillette, president and chief executive officer of the Tampa-based utility, said in a press release. “We have long believed in the promise of clean and renewable energy, and we are so pleased to have the suppo

12. November 2017 · Comments Off on Can Puerto Rico Overcome a Colonial Past to Build a Greener Grid? · Categories: News

On September 20, Hurricane Maria swept across Puerto Rico, destroying its electricity grid. The storm felled half of the cross-island transmission towers. Nine out of 10 back-alley power poles blew down. Every single customer on the island lost power. Amid the wreckage lies an opportunity for Puerto Rico to rebuild stronger and smarter. Tesla chief Elon Musk said his company will power the island with solar and energy storage. “The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but the

In an increasing number of regions in the U.S., solar (and wind) power can produce electricity at the same cost – or lower – than more traditional fuels, like coal or natural gas. We call it reaching “grid parity” here in the business. The catch, however, is what happens when government subsidies are removed from the calculation. That’s why what happened at the end of September in the UK may be a sign of things to come across the pond here in the U.S. See, the British just brought a new solar power proj

Jacob Wilmoth, mechanical and aerospace engineering senior, bought two solar panels and a battery this past summer.“I wanted to play around with solar panels and batteries, so I started off with a solar panel kit off of Amazon,” Wilmoth said.Wilmoth is from Moore and during tornado season, he said it was nice to have a battery backup during storms to keep his room powered and his devices charged.

An enormous solar power station is planned for the north Kent coast that would be the UK’s biggest and dwarf existing solar farms, providing a significant boost to an industry that has stalled since ministers halted subsidies 18 months ago. Cleve Hill, a mile from the historic town of Faversham, would have five times the capacity of the UK’s current largest solar farm and provide enough power for around 110,000 households if it comes online in 2020 as proposed.